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2020 Pirate Player Preview: Ike Obiagu

Date: May 27, 2020

By: Liam Plate

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Gabe Rhodes

During the 2019-20 season, the Seton Hall Pirates were known for their height down low and one of the most mentioned facts about the Pirates during TV broadcasts was that they had two seven-footers at the center position.

With Romaro Gill graduating, that leaves only one of the two seven-footers left. Ike Obiagu transferred from Florida State and got to play his first year in a Seton Hall uniform last season.

Many expected Obiagu to be thrusted into the starting center role last season and he did start four games for the Hall, but no one expected the emergence of Gill last season as one of the best centers in the Big East. Even though Obiagu fell into the back-up center role, he finished second in the team in blocks with 36, averaged 2.4 points per game, and 2.0 rebounds per game in an average of 10.6 minutes per game.

Obiagu will have big shoes to fill, figuratively and literally, as the starting center for the Pirates next season. Hopefully, he took every chance to learn from Gill and his improvement this past season. Obiagu should have no problem filling the post on the defensive side with his length and size underneath. He will be a major threat to other big men and to guards who like to drive to the basket.

If Obiagu can keep up the same production of blocks, remain in the paint on defense, and know when to stay on his feet, he will be everything the Pirates need on defense. Obiagu was also very effective in guarding the perimeter last year, but he will need to focus more so on the staying in the paint since Gill won’t be there. The Pirates could try going into a two-three zone a bit more often to keep Obiagu in the middle of the floor, but he is athletic enough to play solid man-to-man defense.

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Quinn Harris/Getty Images

On the offensive side of the ball, Obiagu will need to be a force underneath. The Pirates were able to run the pick-and-roll effectively with Obiagu and if he can develop chemistry with new transfer guard Bryce Aiken and the other guards on the team, he could be a dangerous threat to the rest of the country. Obiagu will need to use his height and strength to his advantage to dominate other centers in the Big East because if he is aggressive, he can be one of top big men in the conference.

An aspect of his game that could use a bit of improvement and should see some improvement with more minutes is rebounding. Being seven-foot-two-inches, Obiagu should be able to grab more than two rebounds in the increased time that he will see this season.

Only playing 10.6 minutes per game didn’t give him much of an opportunity to dominate the boards, but most likely playing in a starting role next season will change that. If Obiagu can grab more boards mixed with Jared Rhoden and Sandro Mamukelashvili being rebounding monsters, the Pirates could be the best rebounding team in the Big East next season.

Obiagu will be an integral part to the Pirates success next season and he will step into a role that he will be able to handle. He will be the anchor of the defense and will be an effective weapon for the offense. The transfer already has a year of experience in the system, which will help him in his first year as the starter.

I know that there has been a lot of talk about Gill in this article and Obiagu will most likely be compared to Gill for the majority of the season by many analysts, but let’s make one thing clear: Obiagu is not Gill. He has the chance and potential to become as dangerous, if not more dangerous, in his remaining two years at the Hall.

Liam Plate is the Web Editor for WSOU Sports and can be reached at wsousportswebeditor@gmail.com.

Posted in: Men's Basketball, Sports, WSOU

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